Victim
by ZevieObsessed2012
Summary: Stevie is a victim of Stockholm Syndrome after being held in captivity for five years, and Zander is a therapist after years of unrecognized musical talent. Stevie becomes one of his patients, and Zander finds himself falling for her, but Stevie can't get over the idea that she's in love with her captor. Zander begins to wonder if he'll ever cure her. Rated T! Now Complete!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: New story coming at you! If you saw my story other day about the story descriptions (for my new fics) then you already know some of what this is about! Plus, the description gives a short insight lol. Anyway, enjoy! :D**

_~Chapter 1~_

"Your captor—"

"—he's not a captor! He loved me!" the young girl sobbed before her therapist. Some days, he wondered exactly why he chose to give up music and go into therapy. . . but therapy and music weren't much different, right? They both made people feel better.

_Anything to help the people_, he told himself.

However, frustration was setting in today with a massive headache, and Dr. Zander Robbins found himself near losing his patience. The young girl before him, though, had a reason to be the way she was. Kidnapped and held hostage for five years, the young girl had a "connection" with her captor—aka Stockholm Syndrome; a case in which the victim harbors feelings for the captor due to a lack of abuse.

The captor, however, had a case of Lima Syndrome—like Stockholm Syndrome, but the captor grows feelings for the victim—sometimes resulting in the captor releasing the victim out of pity. The young girl's captor held her hostage for five years before taking pity on her and letting her go.

He confessed to his crime, and currently had a place in prison.

"He didn't love you, he only thought he did. It was a case of pity and guilt. Stevie," Zander said softly, setting his palms flat against the desk trying to calm himself. "He kidnapped you when you were fourteen years old. He kept you from your family and friends for five years, and from school—"

"—he educated me. . . he wasn't a bad person," she said hopelessly.

"Well, he wasn't a good one either," he responded, watching as she kept her focus on the floor. She didn't want to look at this doctor—this excuse for a man who was telling her nothing but lies.

Or what she thought to be lies.

"He has a case of Lima Syndrome, Stevie. . . and you, a case of Stockholm. You know what those are, don't you?" Zander asked, raising his eyebrows at her. She didn't notice though, and said nothing. The doctor decided to explain them to her, and even when she denied it all, Zander didn't give up trying to convince her.

"He didn't let me go. . ." she whimpered, curling into a ball on the small couch before the desk. "He loved me. . . and he wouldn't let me go. You people took him from me!" She was crying again.

"He held you in captivity for five years. . ." Zander stressed once again. "When the medical teams got you out of the house, that was the first time in five years you'd seen the outside, wasn't it?"

"He said bad people would try to take me away if I went outside. . . he didn't think anyone would come into the house and take me. . . he told me I was safe."

"Your family missed you, Stevie. Your friends did. . ."

She ignored Zander's words and kept her body curled up on the couch. Frustrated, he let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose between his pointer and thumb. "Take a look at our waist," he said after a moment, gesturing for Stevie to lift her shirt up slightly.

"He said not to show my body off. That it's wrong, and unladylike," she retorted, curling into herself tighter—if possible.

"I won't hurt you, Stevie," Zander assured the girl. "Everything that is said in this room is private. Everything that happens is private. You are safe here."

"He said not to do it, so I won't," she said defiantly, glaring at Zander.

Zander clenched his jaw and gave a stiff nod. "Alright. Next time then." He sighed and looked around his office for a moment, searching his scattered thoughts for any last minute words. "Perhaps it's time your family took you home now," he said after a long moment.

He pressed the speaker on his desk and waited for the receptionist to answer. "Yes, Dr. Robbins?"

"Uh. . ." he sighed for a minute before continuing—his headache was at an all-time high, "I think Miss Baskara is ready to go home for the day, Elle."

"Alright," Elle, the receptionist responded. "I'll let the family know so they can come and collect her."

"Thank you," Zander said in a stressed tone, squeezing his eyes shut to relieve some of the pain—it did little to help. "Have a good evening, Miss," he said before standing up from his desk and leaving the room so the family could collect their daughter.

**A/N: Alright, so that's a little taste of what's to come! Let me know what you think? :D Thank you, loves! I'll try to update this one tomorrow as well as another chapter of Something Dark! :D I'm on a roll this week, WOO!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Glad you guys already like the story! :D Do you have any idea how happy that makes me? Haha, anyway, I won't do replies at the moment since I'd really just rather get to the story xD and I talk A LOT, so you're probably thinking "Thank God!" lol. **

_~Chapter 2~_

"_Dr. Robbins_?" Elle's voice came through the speaker on Zander's desk. He knew what she was calling for; Stevie's appointment.

"Send her in," was his only response, and after several minutes, Stevie came into the office and took a seat on the couch.

"Good morning," he said to her with a small smile—hopefully she was more willing to open up today. This was only her second appointment, and Zander was hoping to accomplish something this time. She didn't, however, respond nor did she look at him. "Right. . ." he said quietly, mostly to himself. "How are you since your last visit?"

"You mean yesterday?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. _Oof_. She was already in a bad mood, but who was ever actually happy to go see their therapist? _Anything to help the people_, he reminded himself.

"Right, since yesterday. How are you?" he asked, keeping his tone light and friendly. He walked around his desk to the front and leaned back against it so that he was standing/sitting.

Stevie's eyes watched him.

"I'm fine," she retorted.

Zander nodded in response and then said, "Have you parents taken you to visit family recently?" He was genuinely curious. Despite her bony features, the girl was very pretty, and he was quite sure that if she wasn't so. . . confused, could you say? Maybe she was a very nice girl, but the sudden change in "routine" hit her hard and forced her guards up.

At least that was the conclusion he had come to this morning as he had laid awake in his bed, pondering whether or not he should called in sick—clearly he decided against the thought. It was a shame, he had thought, that a girl like herself had to go through such a situation.

She nodded slowly—_progress_, he thought, internally grinning. "My, uh, parents. . . they took me to see my aunt and cousins yesterday after the therapy session. My grandparents showed up later," she said, pursing her lips, clearly not wanting to go into detail.

"That's good," Zander replied, giving her a small smile, hoping to loosen her guards a bit. "You weren't overwhelmed at all were you?" he asked, watching Stevie.

"No. . . well, at first I didn't want to go, but after a good half-hour I got used to it, and my cousins were nice. I'd forgotten what it was like to be around family. . ."

"Good, that's progress," he said encouragingly—he wanted her to keep talking. "I don't overwhelm you, do I?" he asked, laughing quietly.

Stevie didn't laugh, but Zander could've sworn he'd seen the corners of her lips quirk slightly. "More times than not," she said quietly.

"At least you're honest," Zander said, "It's just because you've been through a lot this month," he explained gently. "I don't try to be overwhelming or pushy. . . I'm just trying to help you, that's my job."

She gave a single nod, not really listening to his words.

"How do you plan to help me?" she asked curiously after a good five minutes of uncomfortable silence, and noticeable shifting in their seats.

Zander shrugged. "Why don't you tell me what you think will help me help you?"

Stevie thought for a moment, really thinking. "You don't seem like the therapist type," she said suddenly. "Tell me about yourself. If I'm going to open myself to you, I'd like you to open up to me first."

Zander was, to say the least, surprised, but the request made sense. What surprised him though, was that her recent actions showed no signs of getting to know him, and not many people ever actually asked about his life, or who he was.

"Alright," he said, shrugging slightly—he almost looked bashful. "I was born and partly raised in Chicago, Illinois. . . I moved to Los Angeles when I was sixteen, with my parents. For a while, I wanted to be a musician, but—"

"—Let me guess," Stevie cut in, "It didn't work out?"

Zander laughed quietly and nodded his head. "Uh, my birthday is June 21st, 1987; I'm twenty-six years old, old right?" he joked.

Stevie's lips twitched again, but she refused to laugh at his attempts. She shook her head, "Only seven years older than I am."

Zander continued—he was grateful she'd made eye-contact with him for once—"I was. . . _almost_ married once before," he said, trailing off. He pretended to pick at lint on the sleeve of his shirt, the painful memory if his ex, still a little too fresh in his mind.

"Almost?" Stevie questioned.

"Yes. My schooling got in the way of my relationship, and she felt that I was forgetting about her," he answered sighing, a bit melancholy.

"Well, that seems silly," Stevie blurted.

Zander nodded.

"So, she called off your engagement to her because she felt you didn't love her or something?" Stevie asked, hitting the nail right on the head.

"Well, yes," Zander began, "But I called off our relationship."

He found it funny that she was the first person he'd told all this too—sure, his friends and parents knew about the engagement ending, but he'd never told them the real reason. His ex-fiancée had been a bit of a self-centered witch, and it had taken the end of their relationship for him to realize that.

"Your turn," he said, veering the spotlight at her.

"I'm nineteen years old, and I was born August 22nd, 1994. Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, and you know the rest," she said, rolling her eyes. Most of her life had been taken from her, so of course she didn't have much to talk about.

"Tell me. . . about your captor," Zander said suddenly, hoping she'd been more willing to talk now that she knew his worst experience.

"He's not a captor," she spat, sighing angrily. _Oh, if only she could see_, he thought.

His patience was already wearing thin—this girl couldn't believe that the man who had taken her so young wasn't a good man, _despite _his refrain from abusing the young girl. He'd still taken her from her family and that was enough not to forgive him.

She just couldn't accept that.

"He was an old friend of my father's—" _just goes to show who you can and _can't _trust_, Zander thought. "—my dad said that he was accused of molesting a child when he was twenty-three," she said, "He had had his eye on me for quite a while. . . never really made me uncomfortable, only sometimes. Anyway, he picked me up from school one day and said that my parents had asked him too—I figured they were having another argument—so I got into the car, and a couple hours later I was at his house. He fed me dinner, and he sat with me while I ate, complimenting me; said I was pretty and I had a nice body for a young girl."

"Were you uncomfortable?" Zander asked, glad that he was finally getting somewhere with her—sure, it was only her second time there, but he liked to do things quickly, and he honestly expected her to take forever to open up.

"A little. . . but then he said I shouldn't be because I was going to live with him from then on."

"Did you wonder why at all?"

"No. . . my parents were arguing a lot then. My family was falling apart, so I really didn't want to go home."

"What happened after that?" Zander asked, crossing his right leg over his left, still leaning back against the desk. He watched Stevie as she struggled to keep eye-contact.

"He said I could sleep in his room, so he led me there and then said he didn't have anything for me to change into besides his ex-girlfriend's t-shirt. . . it was really short," she said, grimacing slightly. She was embarrassed explaining all this, but Zander's eyes never once told her that he was judging her.

So, she kept going. "He watched me change. . ." she said quietly, ashamed suddenly. Some of the things she was saying were beginning to fall in to place in her mind. Maybe the things she'd been told _were_ wrong. The thought began to nerve her and she stuttered, "H-He told me th-that I was beautiful, and uh. . . lots of boys would kill to touch me. . ."

"Did he touch you?" Zander asked, keeping his features calm so that she wasn't so nervous. She opened her mouth to answer, but the speaker on his desk interrupted.

"_Dr. Robbins? Miss Baskara's family is here to take her home_," came the receptionist's voice. Zander sighed, frustrated that the session had ended already. Right when he was finally getting somewhere.

He looked at Stevie and said, "Until next time then. . . I'll leave so your parents can come get you." Stevie nodded and watched as he leaved the office.

_Perfect timing_, Zander thought with bitter sarcasm.

**A/N: So yeah.. these chapters will be a bit slow to start, but it's just laying down some background knowledge. Hopefully you enjoyed the chapter anyway! :D Let me know what you thought? Thanks, loves!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Alright, I decided to get back to writing this one… I'm sorry my updates suck… I'm just getting lazy because it's been so hot out! Anyway, this chapter may or may not be short… I'll find out when I'm done writing lol. **

**Replies: **

_**Animalfriendship**_**: Is this soon enough? Haha**

_**OoMirkaaxX: **_**Awww, trust me, it's far from perfect, but thank you! :)**

_**Jellybean96**_**: Zander has a method going now haha. He'll get her to open up some more, trust me!**

_~Chapter 3~_

Zander had a method this time around.

When Stevie came into the office, they could continue their conversation. Zander just had to talk about his worst experiences. None of them were as bad as what Stevie went through though. He knew that, but he didn't judge her.

She didn't have any control when it was happening.

"_Dr. Robbins? Miss Baskara is here for her appointment," _the receptionist said through the speaker on his desk. He pressed the button to respond.

"Send her in, Elle. Thanks. Hey, do me a favor? Extend her appointment, I'm free this afternoon." Elle responded and made sure Stevie's appointment was extended like Zander asked. He was glad for more time this time around.

After a minute or two, the door opened, and Stevie came into the room. She didn't sit as far away as possible this time. In fact, she took the seat in front of Zander's desk. He tried not to look surprised, but he was.

"Good morning," Zander said, clearing his desk off a bit. Stevie didn't respond, or if she did, it was too quiet for Zander to hear. She watched as he cleared his desk off.

"You have a lot of papers," she commented, leaning back in her chair a little more. The only light in the room came from the sun through the windows, and it wasn't very bright—the shades kept most of the light out—but it made the room feel calm.

"I extended your appointment this morning. We were really getting somewhere yesterday, and then you had to leave. You don't mind, do you?" Zander asked, absently twirling a pen in his hand. Stevie shook her head in response.

"Where were we yesterday?" Stevie asked, cocking her head to the side slightly as she tried to remember where the conversation ended.

"You were telling me about having your captor watch you change into the nightshirt he gave you the first night you lived with him," Zander said, reading off his notepad. He had recorded their conversation down on his notepad after Stevie had left.

"Right. . ." Stevie said with a small single nod. "Uh. . . he didn't touch me."

"You said he molested a child before. . . you're sure he never touched you any way that seemed. . . unnatural?" he couldn't find the right word to describe what he mean, but he guessed "unnatural" would have to do.

Stevie shook her head, "I. . . don't remember."

"Stevie, I'm here to help you. I told you before, anything you say here stays within these walls, unless it is a risk to your health or life," Zander said, leaning forward slightly. He kept his eyes on her, but her eyes were fixated on her hands in her lap.

"I know," she said, biting her lip. "I did some thinking. . . after I got home yesterday," Stevie said, finally, her hazel eyes meeting Zander's dark brown ones. He raised his eyebrows slightly, urging her to continue and share her thoughts.

"I began to wonder if a lot of things he told me were wrong. . ." she responded, watching Zander for any signs of judgment, but she didn't find any.

"He had no right to take you from your parents," Zander replied softly, hoping to get through to her. She thought for a moment in silence.

"He never hurt me though. I was grateful to not be going home. . ." Stevie said.

"Why?"

"Because my parents were constantly fighting. . . and I'm the youngest in my family. . . I felt like no one was paying attention to me. My brothers were all leaving for college or living on their own. . . I was stuck home with my parents and had to listen to them argue," she shrugged.

"I just didn't want to stay. . . and when he said I'd live with him, I was glad. It meant I didn't have to go home, but then he began to. . ."

"Began to. . .?" Zander prompted. Stevie had stopped talking then, and Zander wanted her to keep going.

"I can't tell you. . ." Stevie said. "If he comes back for me, and he finds out I said stuff, he'll angry with me," she said sadly, looking back at her hands in her lap. Her body was shaking slightly, and Zander knew she was afraid.

"Stevie, you can tell me anything. No one outside of this room is going to find out what you're telling me. You can trust me." He watched as she fought with herself. She was terrified.

"I can't. . . if he comes back and finds out. . . he might not love me anymore. . ."

"Stevie, he didn't love you," Zander said as cautiously as he could. He didn't want her to shut herself up again. "He's sick, in the head, and he knew what he did was wrong. He took you for selfish reasons, and he's being taken care of in prison."

Stevie's eyes began to water. The past five years hadn't been so bad for her, but they weren't great. She felt trapped suddenly. Everything changed quickly, and she felt stuck. Her captor, the only person that gave her the attention she wanted, was locked up in prison.

She's not used to being without him after five years of nothing but being with her captor. Zander could understand she was stuck in a hard, internal battle with herself, but it was his job to get her to trust again.

Tears spilled out of her eyes as she hesitated. She opened her mouth after a moment and said, "He was possessive for a while. Curtains had to stay shut, and I was never allowed to answer the phone, or watch TV, or go on the computer. . . he said things like that, they'd corrupt me. . . and people—bad people, like the police, would come and take me away. He said he loved me and he'd never hurt me."

"He said those things because he knew he'd get in trouble if anyone knew where you were. He was cutting off your means of connection," Zander explained, watching as she began to cry. She was confused. Everything she'd been taught was wrong.

"Stevie, he's the bad guy. . . me, the police, your family, we're all the good guys. We want you to be okay, and we want you to feel safe again. You know that, don't you?" Zander asked, walking around the desk to the front.

Stevie stayed in her seat, but she refused to look at Zander. Instead, she cried silently. Zander sat on the desk in front of her and said, "I won't lie to you, Stevie. Your captor did that—"

"—_Stop calling him a captor!_" Stevie cried, putting her face into her hands. She didn't want anyone to see her like this. "He took care of me! You guys are the bad guys!" She couldn't wrap her mind around what Zander was saying, she didn't believe him.

"Stevie, I'm here to help you. You'd still be locked up in his house, being taught lies if that rescue team hadn't gotten you out of there. I'm here to help you, because I've been taught how to fix people, like you, for the better. What were you allowed to do at his house?" Zander asked, hoping maybe he could get through to her another way.

"He had a piano. . ." she said softly. "He let me practice on it often. He would buy me music to learn. . . it was really the only thing he would allow me to do."

"You didn't ever think to run away from him, did you? He didn't threaten to hurt you if you left, did he?" Zander asked. He wasn't sure where his questions were going, he was just looking for answers.

"No," Stevie shook her head. "He just said that if I left, bad people would get me. And he wouldn't be able to save me."

Zander sighed.

This guy was good with words. He could brainwash a fourteen-year-old easily, just by scaring her. He talked himself up to be the only good person in the world, and Stevie unfortunately believed him.

"The good people got you out of his house, Stevie. They recused you. He was the bad guy. He took you and hid you away for five years. He knew what he did was wrong," Zander tried again, hoping maybe she would process this.

She didn't though.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, "But from what I know, you're the bad guy. . ."

Zander, not being able to get through to her anymore today, pressed the speaker on his desk. He watched as Stevie wiped her eyes and said, "Elle? Change of plans. I think Miss Baskara is ready to go home early today."

"_Alright, Dr. Robbins. I'll call the family_."

"Thank you," he responded. He bid Stevie goodbye for the day, and then left Stevie to herself and got as far from his office as he could. He needed time to think things over, and create a new plan. He needed her to realize everything she knew was wrong.

_How though?_ he wondered.

**A/N: Alright! So, I FINALLY update this! It's sort of short, I guess. Sorry about that, but at least I've got the story moving somewhere! I have the next chapter in mind, so hopefully that'll be up soon! **

**Review and let me know what you thought? Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello loves :) how are you all? I was in a bit of distress yesterday, so I tweeted about it… I guess Lulu was online at the time, and she was kind enough to Direct Message me (over Twitter) and cheer me up :) so I want to give a HUGE thanks to Lulu :)**

**Also, I was watching How to Rock A Yearbook, and could anyone make out the name of Zander's previous high school? I only say KRHS, and the K was for Kranepool. I get the feeling his old high school was called Kranepool Regional High School. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's my theory lol.**

**Anyway, randomness over! :)**

**Replies: **

_**Misskikimarie**_**: I found your review highly interesting haha. Dystopian literature actually wasn't on my mind when I wrote this, it just sort of happened. I guess it does count as Dystopian literature though :) it meets most of the qualifications xD**

_**Goddess of Idiots**_**: Aww thanks :) I plan to continue with this now that I have an actual idea of where I want it to go!**

_**MegaDiary123**_**: Did I update soon enough? :) haha**

_~Chapter 4~_

Zander woke up late the next morning, and he was considering calling out of work for the day. He had a migraine from the thoughts that kept him awake the night before. He didn't have to call out though, because the phone call he'd received was more important.

"_Mrs. Baskara?...I haven't gone into work yet, is everything okay?...alright, look, calm down, breathe… tell me what happened…" _

His migraine seemed to dissipate then, or maybe it just got worse and his brain went numb.

"_Mrs.—Mrs. Baskara, wait! What did she do?" _he could feel his blood run a bit cold then as her mother answered and he quickly replied before hanging up. He stumbled around to get dressed quickly, not bothering with coffee—the hospital would have some anyway. He wondered how he could move this fast without it, but Stevie was his first priority. So, she was probably one of his most irritatingly stubborn patients… he cared about her, it was his job.

He practically ran out to his car and started it up before he even shut the door. He had to get to the hospital soon—he had to know what Stevie did. She wasn't there for no reason. It had seemed though like every light in town was turning red just for him. Impatient, he had thought a couple times of just running the lights, but he didn't.

When he got to the hospital, he searched for her room, and one of the nurses was kind enough to help him finally. He checked himself quickly in the faint reflection of the window and then walked into her hospital room. She was asleep, but beside the bed sat her parents.

"What happened?" Zander asked. He could barely hear a word her mother had said over the phone—she had been in a panic. He keeps his voice low so not to wake up Stevie, but he can feel himself trembling on the inside—something about this patient in particular had his attention. Constantly.

Her parents couldn't explain though. Halfway through, her mother had burst into tears and left the room. Zander watched them leave and then turned back to Stevie who was still fast asleep. He hated to wake her up, but he needed this whole story from the girl herself.

"Stevie?" he says calmly, rubbing the pad of his thumb over the back of her hand softly. She stirred and then woke up. Stevie looked a bit confused, but when she saw Zander, her eyebrows shot up—she wasn't home, or at his office…

"Where am I?" she asked, sitting up. Her voice was thick with sleep and she looked exhausted. Leaning back against the pillows, she ran her fingers through her hair… then she remembered what put her here.

"Oh…" she said softly, chewing on her lower lip. She felt awful, "Are my parents okay?"

"They will be," Zander replied quietly, watching her. "What happened?"

"When the police took me out of his house… I was brought to the hospital right away. They'd given me all kinds of prescriptions… I guess I had a moment last night and took too many…"

"You intentionally took too much medication?" Zander asked, raising his eyebrows slightly. It was a mistake on his part, because Stevie's expression went cold. She glared, feeling like Zander was judging her actions.

"Yes… I don't like being 'free', I'm not free! Everything thinks that I'm in some sort of shock, and I'm not!" she cried coldly, tears stinging her eyes. "I just want to go back to him, and feel safe again!"

"You are safe though, don't you understand that?" Zander asked, completely thrown off by her response. She crossed her arms and looked the other way—she didn't want to hear anything from Zander at the moment.

"You can't go back to him, Stevie. You were pulled out of there for a reason! He may have made you feel safe and happy, but he took you from your family and _that_ was wrong!" Zander tried to explain it, but Stevie ignored him. She wiped at her eyes and called for a nurse.

Much to Zander's displeasure, the nurse had ordered that Zander leave for the rest of the day. Reluctantly, he left the hospital room and decided to go back home. He didn't go to work, he had a migraine. When he got back to his apartment, he sat around all day.

Stevie had intentionally overdosed on her medication… she was still hooked on being with her captor that she was beginning to struggle with coping being without him. Zander felt pity towards the girl, and he knew she wouldn't want that, but she had intentionally tried to kill herself… and she was clearly disappointed when she woke up.

He wasn't one for drinking, but tonight seemed like a good night. He called up some of his friends and a couple minutes later, he was on his way to the local bar. Upon entering the bar, he spotted his friends right away. Zander walked over the booth they were sitting in and slid in.

"Hey!" said the dark-haired girl. She had mocha skin and a fit body, and she was wearing a black sequined dressed that ran to her mid-thigh and ankle boots the exact same color. The two boys that were sitting across from Zander and the girl greet Zander too.

They've built up more muscle since their high school years, and their goofy, nerdy looks had grown to be quite handsome. They're dressed in crisp shirts and vests and dark wash jeans. The boy with the sandy hair has a girl beside him. She's blonde and her grin is wide and friendly. She was already a bit drunk though by the look in her eyes.

"Kacey, Kev, Nelson, Grace," Zander acknowledged, tiredly. A waitress comes over right away and takes his order.

"Everything okay?" Kacey asked, raising a perfectly plucked, dark eyebrow. She had a cocktail, and she brought it up to her perfectly glossed lips. Though she had finally learned perfection didn't not exist, she always looked like it did.

"Yeah, just a patient," he answered. "She's in the hospital at the moment… I can't really discuss the case, but let's just say she has a pretty severe case of Stockholm," he sighed, quickly downing half of his glass the minute it arrived at the table.

"Wow, that's rough," Nelson commented, taking a sip of his drink. Grace looked around the bar in awe—she was so drunk, Zander guessed she and Nelson had been there a while. "Didn't you say she was that girl that went missing a few years ago?"

Zander nodded his head.

"I remember it on the news, saying they found her and everything… is she in love with the guy or something?" Kacey asked.

"I really can't discuss this," Zander said. "Today's just been hectic… I want a drink or two and then I have to get home and get ready for work tomorrow." He finished his drink and then waited for the waitress to come back to get another one.

Zander caught up with his friends, and towards the end of the night, he noticed something. Kacey got up to use the bathroom, and she dragged a very drunk and giggly Grace with her. Nelson and Grace had been dating since senior year, and Nelson planned to propose eventually.

But he noticed the way Kevin watched Kacey all night long.

"Dude," Zander said, pushing his drink away—he was driving himself home later. "You've had a crush on Kacey since freshmen year… the worst that can happen if you ask her now is she'll say no."

"You've always gotten the girls, Zander. Of course that's easy for you to say," Kevin deadpanned. He pushed his drink away too and then Nelson spoke up.

"Kevin, you guys hang out all the time… I know she wasn't that interested in high school, but things have changed lately. Go ask her out!"

Kevin shook his head and said nothing about the subject for the rest of the night.

By the time Zander had said goodbye to his friends, it was almost eleven-thirty at night. He drove home a bit slowly—the alcohol was getting to him. He had wanted to go back to the hospital, but visiting hours were over… but maybe emergencies could slide?

He decided to try it.

He had the slightest feeling that being a bit drunk wouldn't help his case, but he wasn't so drunk that speech failed him. He walked into the front doors of the hospital and asked to see Stevie Baskara.

"Visiting hours are over, sir," the receptionist said.

"I know ma'am, but this is important. I'm her therapist," he explained. She gave him a skeptical look, and continued to argue.

"Sir, I can't let you, I'm sorry. Unless you are immediate family, you can't see her."

"This is important, please. It can't wait," Zander begged, pleading with his eyes. The receptionist worried her bottom lip before sighing and telling him he had until midnight. He thanked the receptionist and made his way to the elevators.

Her room was on the seventh floor, he'd memorized it from his frantic rush through the hospital earlier that day. When he found the room, he knocked on the door. It had opened up to Mr. Baskara's confused face.

"You're back? I thought visiting hours were done?" he asked Zander, looking back at Stevie. Zander couldn't tell if she was awake or asleep.

"Yes, sir," Zander replied, "But the receptionist gave me until midnight… is she awake?" he asked quietly. Mr. Baskara looked back at his daughter and then opened the door more for Zander to come in.

Stevie was asleep, but her father gently woke her up. She stirred and moaned, annoyed she was being woken up, yet again. Her eyes fluttered open, the only light coming from the TV on the wall. Her eyes found Zander's figure nearby and glared, "Why are you here?"

Zander looked over at her father who walked past him and stepped out of the room. Zander had assumed her mother had gone home for the night. It was just the two of them. Stevie held the remote in her hand and kept her thumb on the nurse call button.

"Please, Stevie, I just want to talk, okay?" Zander said calmly.

Stevie cocked her head to the side slightly, "Are you drunk?"

"No," Zander answered quickly. "I had a drink or two before coming here though, so if it's the alcohol you can smell, then I'm sorry."

Stevie shook her head and moved on, "Talk."

"What was it that made you deliberately overdose?" Zander asked, taking a seat in the chair beside her bed. She kicked the thin bed sheet off her legs and revealed a bunch of wires in her arms and a thin hospital gown that just reached her knees.

She also wore a pair of socks, also provided by the hospital. Her hair was tied back, but some curls had come loose and she had on a pair of glasses—it was much different than her usual look. He sat on the edge of the chair and said, "I'm not going to judge you, Stevie. That isn't my job."

She hesitated but said, "I feel so lost… five years of my life were taken from me… I don't know anything that's happened in those five years… sometimes I just want to go back and be clueless, but then I start to think about how wrong it was. I know deep down what he did was wrong, but it's still stuck in my head that he's the good guy…"

"It's going to take a while to change the way you've been taught. He made you feel safe, and he turned your against the good people, Stevie. That mindset isn't going to change overnight… but it's my job to help you change it. It's good though that you understand how wrong it is what he did to you," Zander encouraged. He moved a little closer, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"But it doesn't exactly explain why you overdosed. I know it's difficult for you to be free again, but what did you think of when you were swallowing all those pills?" he asked curiously.

She bite her lip and said, "I can't tell you that…"

"I know this isn't my office, Stevie, but as long as it's just you and me, everything you say will be perfectly safe. I'm not going to tell anyone—not as long as it doesn't put your life at risk."

"I still can't tell you," she said, closing up again. Zander quickly checked his watch—eleven-fifty. He mentally groaned. He was finally getting somewhere and she was starting to close back into her mind again—she was shutting herself up again.

"Stevie, I'm only here ten more minutes… whatever it is, you can say it," he tried again, standing up from his seat on the edge of her hospital bed. She watched him pace slightly, and she was hesitant. She wanted to tell him, but she felt so confused.

"I can't tell you… I'm sorry, Zander…" she said.

He was shocked by her using his name—had she ever used it before? He couldn't really remember, he was certain she hadn't. Were they finally moving along? His watch read midnight, and he decided enough was enough tonight.

He bid Stevie goodbye and goodnight, and then went back down to the lot outside and drove home. What couldn't she tell him?

**A/N: Shrek marathon on TBS… that's why my writing took so long tonight, sorry! It would've been up sooner, buuuuut… anyway! Thoughts? And what do you think Stevie can't tell him? **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Alright! As promised, here is the next chapter :) I think this one reveals something very important to the plot. Hehe. **

**Also! If you're interested in dystopian society, I suggest you look up on YouTube "Children" by Takuya Okada. **

**Replies: **

_**Chelsea Hill**_**: Good guess… not telling if you're right or wrong though :P**

_**Misskikimarie**_**: Hey, so I found something else that might interest you… I'm not really sure if it's dystopian (you would know though) but I found it creepy and interesting… It's a YouTube video called The Backwater Gospel. And thank you :) I'm glad this is interesting yet terrifying xD**

_~Chapter 5~_

Zander had woken up the next morning with a very slight hangover. It was bearable but highly annoying. He showered, fixed his hair, and then dressed for work. Stevie wouldn't be coming in today, and it disappointed Zander. Every time she opened up to him, and they got somewhere, she would shut herself back up.

It irritated Zander, but they were making progress at least. She was going to be in the hospital for the rest of the week. Zander had a new plan, but he wasn't sure that she was quite ready for it. He had a plan, and it was to bring her face to face with her captor again. But she had to be in a good place in her recovery... otherwise, she might fall back under the old ways she knew. Maybe if she was to talk to her captor and make him feel bad for what he did (he already knew what he did), then she would recover quickly. But it was too soon to bring her face to face with that man yet.

He walked into the office building and went straight for his office. Stevie would have been the earliest patient and the appointment would have been longer, but instead, he had the whole morning free—and had no idea what to spend this free time on.

Eventually, he spent it planning out the later sessions. He got off work at five-thirty in the evening and he figured from about six to eight, he'd visit Stevie and hopefully get somewhere. He was curious as to what she refused to tell him. Surely it couldn't be that bad, right? And it isn't like he would judge her.

His first patient all day was a 36-year-old man that had a severe case of paranoia. Zander had lots of paranoid patients, but he handled them all the same way. Simply, he listened. There wasn't much he could tell them, something would always cause them paranoia. But he did often try to convince them that there was nothing to be paranoid about.

They never believed it, so he continued to listen. By about four-thirty, Zander was cleaning up his office. He didn't have any more patients for the day, so he was getting ready to leave. He pulled a jacket on over his crisp white button-down and then walked out of his office. He locked the door and jammed the key into his pocket.

He had to convince Stevie to talk today. He didn't have to do any of this really, but he was doing this for a reason unknown to himself. He deeply cared about this girl... but this kind of care, therapist and client, was looked down upon.

Like teacher and student. He just didn't understand how deeply this care for the girl ran inside him. When he began to think about her in ways he never really thought of his patients—curing her completely and still keeping in touch afterwards—he stopped himself. Was this case getting to his head?

He walked out to his car in the lot and then made his way to the hospital. He checked in with the receptionist and then made his way to the seventh floor where Stevie's room was.

He knocked on the door before entering. Zander found that once again, Stevie was asleep. Her mother sat in the chair beside the bed, watching the television on the wall.

"Good evening," Zander greeted quietly, shutting the door.

"Dr. Robbins... you're back?" Mrs. Baskara said, raising a confused eyebrow.

"I know Stevie's not my biggest fan... I'm just here to help though. Would you mind stepping out for a while?" He knew it wasn't really his place to ask her mother to leave, but his sessions with Stevie were always between just the two of them. If her mother stayed, Stevie wouldn't say a word.

Her mother stood up after a moment of hesitation, "Anything if it'll make her better..." was all she said before she left.

Zander nodded and then sat on the edge of Stevie's hospital bed. He gently shook her and watched as her eyes blinked several times before she focused on him.

"Don't you ever go home?" she wondered aloud.

Zander chuckled.

"Nope, never... my neighbor is a bit of a peeping Tom..." he joked, cracking a lop-sided smile. Stevie bit her lip to keep from smiling, but the corners of her lips twitched.

"Victory," Zander laughed. Stevie rolled her eyes and her cold edge was back. Joke time was over. She switched the TV off, irritated her parents had left it on again. She wasn't going to watch it. It was, in her eyes, "corrupting" as she'd been taught.

"I still can't tell you," she said seriously. Zander's shoulders slumped slightly, defeated. Was his purpose for being here _that_ obvious, or was she just good at reading people?

Or both?

He pushed the thought aside and said, "Actually... I came up with a plan... I'll need your parents' permission... but I was thinking of maybe bringing you face to face with your captor—"

"—don't call him that..." she mumbled.

But Zander ignored her, "—face to face with_ your captor_. Maybe it'll help you see some reason."

"What does that mean?" Stevie snapped, offended. "Of course I see reason! I'm not crazy!"

"I didn't say that," Zander interrupted quickly. He didn't want Stevie to think he thought of her as "crazy" because he didn't. So he continued, "I just meant that maybe he can convince you that what he taught you was wrong..."

"And what makes you think what he taught me was wrong?" Stevie retorted, crossing her arms stubbornly. This was her way of saying she'd had enough already.

"Just trust me," Zander said quietly.

"I don't trust anyone but him," she spat, her eyebrows knitting together angrily. Zander knew he had to calm her down somehow, but his stubborn streak came out, and a new thought came to mind. He took the remote from her hand and switched the TV on.

"Hey! Turn it off!" Stevie cried, grabbing for the remote. Zander dropped it onto the floor and watched Stevie. "Look at the television, Stevie."

He watched as she kept her eyes fixated on her lap, "_No!_"

"Look at it," he demanded slowly, fed up with her stubbornness. If he couldn't get her to open up, well then it was time for a break in her routine, which was: sleep, eat, maybe read, eat and sleep.

She slept more than was probably good for someone her age, and it did pique Zander's curiosity a bit. And electronics were off-limits to her for those five years, "They would corrupt you. Bad people would find you," was what she'd been told. She kept her eyes on her hands in her lap and tried to drown out the sound of the trashy TV show that was playing.

"Stevie, look—"

"—turn it off," she said through clenched teeth.

"No. Look at it," Zander said.

"You don't tell me what to do, and TV is bad for me," she said. She said it so suddenly, like it was rehearsed, and maybe it was rehearsed—she'd been brainwashed into believing that anyway someone could find her was wrong.

"It's not bad for you. No one is going to come find you. TV is for entertainment... you didn't watch TV when you were home? When you were younger?"

Stevie bit her bottom lip and hesitated. "I don't remember..." she said softly.

"I think you do," Zander replied.

"No... I don't. I don't remember anything from before a year ago..." she mumbled, looking at Zander finally. He could tell that she was being serious, and suddenly, she had his full attention—what was she talking about?

"What do you mean? You said you remembered your parents fighting, and the day he picked you up from school?"

Stevie shook her head, "No... those are the things he told me happened... I don't remember them. But he's always been good to me... so I have to believe him, don't I?" Zander looked at her blankly, running these thoughts over in his mind over and over again—this brought a whole new turn to the case. She couldn't remember anything from before a year ago?

Well... what did that mean?

"Why can't you remember anything?" Zander asked, hoping she knew, but would she even tell him?

"I don't know... I just remember all the things he told me..." Stevie shrugged. She looked tired, and as she settled back against the pillows on her bed, her eyelids began to get heavy.

"I know you said he never touched you..." Zander began, trying to keep her awake just a little bit longer, "But you can't remember anything... maybe he beat you, Stevie? Touching wouldn't even have to be inappropriate, it could be forceful and dangerous," Zander thought this as he said it. If she had suffered head trauma... wouldn't the doctors have picked something up?

After their session, Zander decided he had to pay someone a visit. He thought it over some more; if Stevie had gotten a head trauma not long ago… that could've made it simple for her captor to brainwash her, couldn't it have?

If Stevie didn't know… then obviously _he_ would…

**A/N: Muhahahaha… I'm leaving it off there :} thoughts? **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Pretty bored right now, so I figured I would type up the next chapter and post it :) **

**I won't get into replies this time because I'm on my phone and this is a bit irritating to type on xD anyway, replies next chapter and I promise it'll be longer! Any mistakes, it was probably autocorrect. Sorry!**

**WARNING: Severe language.**

_~Chapter 6~_

The next morning, Zander got up early and drove right to the prison. He asked to speak with her captor, and was directed by a cop to the meeting room. The captor was brought in several minutes later, and when Zander asked him name, he refused to give it.

"The hell are you?" the captor asked. He had dark bags under his eyes, his hair was greasy and his voice was gravelly. He looked like the definition of pedophile. Zander decided to look past his physical appearance.

"I'm Zander Robbins. The psychologist of Stevie Baskara, your victim," Zander stated smoothly, sitting up in his seat. The captor let his cuffs around his wrists clink on the metal surface of the table.

Zander's eyes averted to the cuffs before going back to the captor's face, "I'm here to solve a case, and get Miss Baskara back to her right state."

"Good luck," the captor smirked, "taught her everything she knows."

"I'm aware," Zander replied coldly. He sat forward and said slowly, dangerously, "But we both know I'm not leaving until I hear what I need to."

"Then I guess you're gonna be here for a while," the captor replied, not at all phased by Zander's words.

"Guess so," Zander shrugged. He set his lips into a firm line and stared directly at the poor excuse for a man before him, "You know what you did to her. Everything you told her was a lie, and it was for your own selfish reasons. Why exactly can't she remember anything besides the shit stories you fed her?"

"I didn't tell her nothing. Everything she told you, she remembers," he said coldly.

"Nice going, but you know she told me things... therefore you know exactly what she told me because you told her what to say. If you didn't tell her anything, how would you know she even said anything to me? You could've played dumb and assumed she wouldn't say a word to me, but you know she did... and it's the crap you forced her to believe," Zander smirked. The first slip-up. How many other slip-ups could he get out of this guy?

The captor looked pissed now, but more so at himself, "So what? I'm not telling you shit, Robbins," he spat, leaning forward in his seat.

"Why can't she remember anything? If you can answer that, then I'll leave. For today," Zander snapped, standing up. He was hunched over the table, and his knuckles were white as they gripped the edge of the table. The fact that this man seemed to have no shame for what he did made Zander want to swing at him, but the last thing Zander needed was to be charged with assault.

"You think you're so tough. You're a freaking psychologist who ain't even six feet tall. Baskara is loyal to me. You may think you can cure her, or get through to her, but you're wrong. The only reason I let her go is because she got dull. She used to put up a struggle, and it was fun... but after..." he stopped talking then and said, "I want to go back to my cell."

"No, after what?" Zander pressed. He could see the insanity in this man's dark eyes. Stevie never willingly disappeared with this man. He took her.

"Tell me about the day you abducted Stevie," Zander demanded, but quickly he recognized his flaw. And so did Stevie's captor.

"'Stevie', eh? Calling my girl by her first name? What, you got feelings for her?"

"She's not 'your girl'," Zander said angrily, ignoring his accusation, "Tell me about the day you abducted her!"

"You wanna know?" the captor spat, trying to pry his hands free of the cuffs; he wanted to strangle the doctor before him, but the restraints on his wrists refused him that pleasure.

"I think that's what I said," Zander retorted, clutching the table tighter in his fists.

"Fine, she missed the bus getting out of school. Instead of taking the late bus, I offered her a ride, and being stupid, she accepted."

Zander felt pity for the girl now. She had been so naive as to get into a car with her dad's creepy friend, "She said her parents were fighting a lot. Was that true or was that something you told her when she couldn't remember anything?"

"You wanna know why she doesn't remember shit?" the captor said, ignoring his question.

"I can handle it," Zander retorted.

"She pissed me off one day, and I threw her. She hit her fucking head on the wall and that was it," the captor said, smiling. He was sick, and Zander was furious then.

"Why were you angry at her?" Zander demanded, not sure the last ounce of his self-control could handle anymore truth today.

"The bitch wouldn't let me get between those long legs of hers," he smirked, watching as Zander finally had enough.

Zander looked towards the one-way glass where he knew a cop was monitoring the situation.

"Get a cop in here now and get this filth out of here before I kill him," he said, knowing the cop could understand him.

Soon, an officer came and pulled the captor out. Zander watched and then, for a few minutes, fell back into his chair and then sighed heavily. He didn't know everything, but he knew enough.

For now.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled his phone out and hit stop on the recorder.

He smiled to himself...

Stevie would know the truth now...

**A/N: So that's that :) I decided to update again because this is my favorite chapter so far haha. Thoughts? :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Okay, so... I'm spending the night at my cousin's. But he fell asleep. So I pulled my phone out and typed up this little beauty. Hopefully you enjoy it! :) **

**Replies: **

**KingdomKeyblade: trés sexy indeed xD**

**Misszevie1504: You need to stop before I cry, seriously... THAT WAS SO SWEET OF YOU TO SAY! :') thank you so much! Much love, darling!**

**misskikimarie: this situation is trés messed up xD**

**DreamStar77: Much love to you! Your review made me smile :) the fangirling... A+ mon amie :) **

**misscakerella: Free time and an inspiration streak :) haha**

**MusicAngel98: is this going to be enough Zevie for now? :)**

**WARNING: some severe language**

_~Chapter 7~_

Zander called out of work the next day. He wanted to spend this day trying to convince Stevie that her captor wasn't the man she knew. He drove to the hospital around noontime and then checked in with the receptionist who, by now, knew exactly who Zander was and who he was there for.

He knew his way to her room now, and when he arrived, he knocked on the door, surprised to find her awake for once.

"Good morning," Zander said softly, shutting the door behind him. He noticed her parents weren't there, "Are your parents home?"

Stevie shook her head, "They're at work... they can't miss anymore days. Besides, I can handle myself..." She shrugged so nonchalantly that Zander wondered if maybe she was in a good mood...

Did this mean he could finally talk to her without the edge?

He took a seat in the chair beside her bed and then said, "How are you feeling today?"

She bit her bottom lip slightly before answering, "I'm well... I'm tired, but I'm well... um... how are you?"

Needless to say, Zander was shocked by her response, but he smiled a bit and replied with, "I'm well myself."

Stevie nodded and said, "I feel like you're here for a reason... not a chat."

Zander chuckled slightly, "No, not a chat... not really, but this is nice. Different. Actually, I, uh, when to see him yesterday..."

Stevie's expression changed then. She seemed a little bit like a kid on Christmas, although not as cheerful. Maybe on the inside.

"What did he say?" she smiled.

It tore Zander's heart, how she smiled, when the man had absolutely no respect for Stevie, or shame for what he did. He didn't care about her at all and yet here Stevie was, waiting for a response. It wasn't the response she was hoping for though.

Zander played through the recording, and with every word the man said, Stevie grew angry.

"He wouldn't say those things..." she argued, glaring at Zander. She refused to believe that that familiar voice was the man who cared about her.

"This is a fake," Stevie said.

"It isn't though," Zander cried helplessly. He knew it was pointless. She wasn't going to believe him.

"It is! I don't know why you expect me to trust you! You're the one that's lying to me! He never lied to me!"

"Stevie, for _fuck's_ sake!" Zander cursed, standing up from his chair and pacing the hospital room. Stevie watched with cold eyes, "I am never going to lie to you! Don't you get that!? My job is to help you get better! I'm not going to hurt you!"

"Then why did you go see him?" she asked softly, hesitating. "Why did you play that for me? You knew it would hurt me..."

Zander's shoulders dropped slightly, defeated. She was right, but she had to know how that man really felt about her.

"Stevie... please. Just trust me for once... everything in that recording... everything he said was all true. And if you believe me that he never cared about you... then I can help you get better."

"Why do you want to help me so badly?" Stevie asked, cocking her head to the side slightly, "Every time we've talked... we've argued, and snapped... or at least I have. So why do you want to help me?"

The question made Zander slam his mouth shut, confused. Why did he want to help her so desperately? He stared at Stevie, speechless, for what seemed like forever.

"I care about you," Zander said suddenly, and before he could stop himself, he continued, "Probably a lot more than I should... but you have to trust me, Stevie. It's the only way you'll get better... do you trust me?"

"No," Stevie said, shaking her head. "But I guess that doesn't mean that... I can't try," she sighed.

Zander felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Stevie was finally going to trust him... he'd finally gotten through the barriers she'd been forced to build, and now, all he had to do was dig a bit deeper, and maybe...

...Just maybe, she would be cured. He smiled and sat down in the chair beside her bed again.

"The first step," Zander began. He watched Stevie's expression become hesitant, but she didn't say anything.

"Watch some TV," he chuckled quietly.

**A/N: Alriiiight... so there was some Zevieness in there :) and I know a lot of you want Zevie love and kisses, but if I threw that in here, it'd be so predictable and rushed... so for now, this is all I can give :P anyway! Thoughts? :) **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Facebook is irritating… if you don't have one, Bless your soul. Moving on: **

**I will not be getting into replies this chapter. I would like to just move along with the story if that's alright with all you darling readers? :) **

_~Chapter 8~_

The rest of the week had passed in a blur.

Zander had continued to visit Stevie in the hospital—but by now she was back home—and although they had some moments where Stevie was her old self again, Zander calmly pulled her out of them. He was lying in bed in his apartment at four-thirty in the morning one day, when the phone rang.

He had figured that maybe it was a telemarketer, but even then, they didn't call at four-thirty in the morning. Zander tossed the thin bed sheet covering his waist, below, and made his way out to the kitchen where the phone sat on the counter.

He took the device off its charger and pressed "Answer" before putting it up to his ear.

"Hello?" he asked in a groggy tone. Sleep seemed to be escaping him tonight, even though he was completely exhausted. There was a long pause on the other end, like someone was hesitating. For a moment, Zander believed it to be some sort of prank.

He pulled the phone away from his ear and reached for the "End" button, but that's when someone spoke up.

"Zander, wait…" they said.

He couldn't respond for a moment as the initial shock was slowly wearing off. He breathed into the phone, "Stevie?—uh, _Miss Baskara_?"

"…I know it's early," she began, and then she laughed quietly, "_really_ early, actually… I just—uh, can you please come pick me up? I would call my parents, but I don't want to go home right now."

Zander was completely in shock now—a million questions, one after the other, soared through his mind. He pushed them aside for a moment to say, "Uh, sure… where are you right now?"

"I'm outside your office building," Stevie replied, and it sounded like cars were passing, which was a bit unusual for this early in the morning. "I came to see if maybe you were here… I know the office stays open all night, but I… I need to talk… to someone. You're probably my best option," she said softly. She said what she had to so softly, that it was almost like she was surrendering. Like she didn't want to admit she needed his help, but realized that maybe it was for the best.

"Just stay where you are, don't talk to anyone, and I'll be there soon," Zander said, already in his room, pulling on his shoes and shirt. He didn't worry about coming dressed up all formally—as if he were going to work—he just pulled on what he needed and grabbed his keys.

He practically ran out to his car in the lot and started it up, pulling out onto the road to get Stevie. Zander, the whole drive there, was hoping she'd listened to his words and stayed put. She was stubborn, but she wouldn't be _that _stupid.

At least, he hoped she wouldn't be.

When he finally got to the office building, he looked around for her and he panicked slightly when he didn't see her. He pulled up a little closer and that's when he found her sitting on the bench beneath the dead street lamp.

Stevie was just watching as cars passed, and when Zander's car stopped in front of her, she looked a bit on-guard. She wasn't sure if this was Zander or someone looking for a stupid girl to prey on.

She stood up and walked to the car without getting too close, and as he rolled the passenger side window down, she sighed with relief. It wasn't some stranger offering a ride, it was Zander. He unlocked the door and she helped herself into the car.

When she shut the door behind her, Zander pulled a U-turn and said, "I can't take you anywhere else but your home, Stevie. Otherwise, I can probably be charged with kidnapping."

"I don't want to go home," she said abruptly, ignoring what he'd said.

"Stevie, I can't—"

"—Zander, just please… don't take me home right now, alright? Take me to your place," she interrupted, looking out her window. Something seemed to be bothering her greatly, and although Zander had thought about just taking her back to her house—not that he actually knew where she lived, as that information was kept locked away in the office building's file room—but he figured that if he needed her trust, she needed to believe she could give it.

"Alright, but I need to know why you don't want to go home," Zander said, keeping his eyes locked on the road. He vaguely began to wonder exactly how she got a hold of his number, but it didn't matter. She didn't seem to be afraid to call him if she needed it…

That was progress.

"Can we worry about that later?" she asked, her features softening a bit.

"If you tell me now, it'll be out of the way sooner," Zander replied, trying to convince her to talk. She sighed and looked out the windshield. Rain began to fall on the glass at random places, and her eyes watched the drops that slid down the window.

"It's not that there's anything really wrong…" she began, giving in much sooner than Zander had really expected her to. "I just… I need to talk to you… and I don't want to go home because I'm tired of being stuck there… my parents are so afraid to take me anywhere that isn't family…"

Zander took a quick glance over at her, and in the light coming from the streetlight, he could see she looked like she was having difficulty explaining herself. Was she afraid that Zander would be angry and bring her back home?

Of course not.

His only real worry was being accused of abduction.

"Stevie, relax," Zander said suddenly, chuckling quietly. She looked over at him, and as she observed the small smile tugging at the corner of his lips, she allowed her body to relax itself, and she sighed.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, looking down at her hands in her lap.

"Don't be sorry, just relax," he smiled over at her briefly and continued to drive back to his apartment. He offered to turn the radio on, but Stevie politely declined.

"I'm sorry though, not for being so… tense, but for waking you up and asking you to come get me… maybe you should just bring me home," she said quickly, looking over at Zander.

He knew, just by the sound of her voice, that she was getting nervous. He didn't blame her—she wasn't completely cured, and going back to Zander's apartment meant, to her, that she was defying her captor. Zander slowed the car down and pulled over into the breakdown lane.

He stopped the car and then looked over at Stevie who was nervously biting her lower lip. "First of all, don't be sorry. I wasn't asleep, I couldn't sleep. Second, if that's what you really want, I will take you home. But by the sound of it, I can tell you really don't want to," he kept his eyes on hers the whole time he spoke—she kept her eyes averted.

"Third, you don't have to be scared of me, Stevie. I'm trying to help you. If we go back to my apartment, you will be okay. I promise that I won't pull anything on you… you're my client, not a one-night stand," he said calmly, glad when she finally met his eyes with hers.

Being parked under a dim streetlight, Zander could make out the color of her eyes. He'd never really noticed it before, but they were a sharp hazel. They gave off the illusion of innocence when really, her innocence had been taken from her so long ago.

It made his chest ache.

Someone so beautiful and innocent, she'd been through a lot and she couldn't even remember it. She was manipulated and fed stories that weren't true, but for the benefit of her selfish captor, they "were true".

Zander may have been staring at her eyes a little too long—and she may have stared at his a little too long too, but he'd made it his mission then, that he would make that poor excuse for a man pay for what he did to this girl.

He cleared his throat and said, "I know that you don't trust me… but it does mean a lot to me that you're willing to try to trust me."

Stevie nodded her head slowly and looked back down at her lap.

"I have…" she stopped, and closed her eyes. "I trust you somewhat… and I know these feelings…" she was having difficulty explaining herself again, but Zander sat patiently, letting her continue. "These feelings I have about you… or _for you_," Stevie bit her lip.

"I know it's completely wrong," she said softly, "But it means a lot to me, even if I was struggling to listen to anything you said at first… it means a lot to me that you're trying to help me… and in the short time we've come to know each other, these feelings… I didn't want to tell you. But they haven't gone away," she concludes.

Zander, wrapping his mind around this, sits quietly staring out the windshield. Stevie, his patient, was developing feelings for her, and although it was wrong… he couldn't help but feel relieved on the inside. He didn't want to use these feelings to his advantage, but maybe they'd allow her to open up more, and if she had feelings for him… did that mean she was losing her feelings for her captor?

"This is what you wouldn't tell me," he said putting the pieces together.

Stevie nodded, "I'm sorry…"

"Stop saying that, Stevie. You have nothing to be sorry for," he responded, starting the car up again. He pulled back into the lane and began driving back to his apartment again.

Stevie was silent for a minute before saying, "You're not going to say anything else?"

"I don't really know what to say," Zander replied, shrugging slightly. He'd never really been in this situation, and the emotional scar his ex-girlfriend had left was buzzing in the back of his mind. "I care about you greatly, Stevie. More than I should… but there's a lot of things that just…"

He couldn't put it into words, really. So many factors were running through Zander's mind of why any form of relationship between the two of them that wasn't strictly business was completely wrong.

"I understand…" Stevie mumbled, embarrassed. She knew nothing would come out of her confession—she wasn't hoping for anything to come out of it… but oddly, getting it off her chest felt good. Zander wasn't technically rejecting her, he was just simply as lost as she was.

"Do you still want to go back to my apartment, or would you like to go home?" Zander asked, not really caring that he was already ten minutes from his apartment. Stevie's wants and needs were above his own at the moment.

He felt a bit elated though that she'd come to Zander about something like this. Something so nerve-wracking and personal, but it just showed that she was willing to trust him.

"Stevie?" he asked after a minute or two of no response from the girl.

She didn't reply again though and Zander glanced over at her to make sure she was alright. She'd fallen asleep in the passenger's seat. He continued driving until the lot came into sight. He pulled in and then shut the car off.

He wondered if maybe he should just bring Stevie back home, but sleep was beginning to take over, and the last he wanted to do was drive anymore tonight—he didn't want to be the reason they both wound up pretzeled around a street pole.

Zander got out of the car and then went around to Stevie's side and carefully scooped her up into his arms without waking her. He shut the car door and then made his way into his apartment. He immediately brought Stevie to his room and laid her down on the bed, pulling the covers over her.

He hadn't slept on his couch in a long while—not since he and his ex-girlfriend began arguing and eventually split up. He grabbed a pillow from his bed—one that Stevie wasn't sleeping on—and a blanket, and then went out to the couch.

Before laying down, he realized it was about five-forty-five and decided it was probably safe to leave her parents a phone call, so they wouldn't worry. When he'd made the call, he put the phone back on its charger and then settled onto the couch under the blanket.

Though it wasn't as comfortable as his bed, he was too tired to care. Sleep came quickly.

**A/N: Sooo… not much to say about that, I guess haha. Thoughts? :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Alright, so today was… insane. In a bad way. So, hopefully that has no effect on this chapter whatsoever :) and it keeps pouring on and off here… which is actually nice :) because I love rain xD so my mood may be lifting somewhat. **

**Anyway, replies!**

_**Minah13**_**: Well thank you :) that means a lot to me!**

_**Make-love-happen**_**: Well thank you for reading darling :) your support keeps me writing!**

_**MysteryWriter12345**_**: There's a tutorial on my website :) I'll private message you the link!**

_**HTRobsessed**_**: Aww thank you! :)**

_**Misskikimarie**_**: Well, I enjoy writing a lot. And the wonderful feedback you all give is just so amazing and supportive, and inspiring half the time! :) So really, all the thanks to you guys! **

_~Chapter 9~_

The next morning, Zander woke up in his living room, which without the curtains, most likely would've blinded him—the sunlight was just barely visible through the fabric. He sat up on the couch and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and as he went to stand up, the scent of fresh coffee caught his attention.

It was then that the events of the early morning had come back to him—Stevie spent the morning there, so it must've been her that made the coffee. He glanced at the clock on the mantle and noticed it was almost eleven. He stood up from the couch and walked into the kitchen to find Stevie with her back leaning against the counter.

"I'm sorry," was the first thing she said, cupping the hot mug gently in her hands, "Coffee is kind of one of those things I need in the morning…" she took a small sip from her coffee, watching Zander.

Zander shook his head, dismissing her apology, "Don't worry about it. It's a need of mine too in the morning," he chuckled. He grabbed a coffee mug from the cabinet and then poured himself some, "It's been a while actually since I've woken up to already-made coffee. It's nice," he commented, putting the hot pot of coffee back in the maker.

Stevie observed him for a minute and smiled a bit when he turned his back, to the counter and leaned against it the exact same way Stevie was, except he crossed his ankles. Zander took a miniature sip from his drink as it was still blistering hot.

"You're different here," Stevie commented lightly, "You're more relaxed it seems."

Zander shrugged nonchalantly, "When my creepy neighbor isn't around, yeah, I'm pretty relaxed," he joked. Stevie laughed quietly and looked down at her half-drunk coffee.

Here came the bombshell.

"I saw that picture when I woke up this morning… that one on your nightstand," she began, finishing her coffee. She walked over to the sink and rinsed the glass out. Zander's body tensed slightly—this was a bit of sensitive topic for him. He put his cup down on the counter with a _clink_!

"What about it?" he asked.

Stevie walked to the living room and slowly sat down on the couch and said, "I don't mean to make you so uncomfortable… I just want to know more about you if I'm going to trust you…"

Zander sat on the coffee table right in front of Stevie and replied, "I get that… but it's hard to talk about her. I loved her very much, Stevie… and she wasn't happy, so she left. She broke my heart, but she was selfish, and it only took the heartache to show me that." His tone was somewhat bitter.

"Is that why you barely said anything this morning in the car… when I said I… like you?" Stevie wondered, cocking her head to the side slightly. Zander nodded.

"I wasn't rejecting you…" he began quietly, keeping his eyes on hers. Her eyes seemed to have more shine to them today, "I'm just not ready to feel for someone again… that way… and you're my patient, Stevie. It wouldn't be right. It's not uncommon though for patients to develop feelings for someone they seem so often…"

"But that's what I don't get," Stevie sighed, frowning. She looked down at her lap, tangling and untangling her fingers nervously, "Why _do_ I have feelings for you? We barely know each other, and sometimes I just can't stand you…" she admitted quietly.

Zander chuckled, "Likewise. But you've been through a lot in just this month—Stockholm victims become a bit lost when they're taken from their captors—" he was surprised when she didn't interrupt him to defend that man, "—and sometimes they develop feelings for someone they spend most of their time with, in your case I'm that person. Another reason I just can't return your feelings is that this could just be a phase… you know, maybe you only _think_ that these feelings you have for me are real."

"But what if they are real?" Stevie asked, looking up at him and raising her eyebrows slightly. Zander couldn't say anything for what felt like forever. What if they _were_ true? _What then_?

"What are you hoping for?" Zander wondered.

Stevie shrugged her shoulders slowly, "I'm not really hoping or expecting anything… I just want to know if these feelings I have are real or just some phase…" she was quiet for a few minutes, frowning. She just wanted to know why these feelings were for Zander, of all people!

Zander wasn't entirely sure how to respond to her though. Feelings just went away, didn't they? He opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't think of anything. After several minutes of awkward silence he said, "Is there some way I can help you?"

Stevie bit her bottom lip shyly.

"I've never… had my first kiss," she sighed. "You said that anything between us is private, right?"

"Well, of course, but," Zander trailed off nervously. What exactly was she asking of him? "Stevie, you're my patient, we've gone over this—"

"—I know, but… please? I just want to know what it's like…" she said softly, blushing.

Zander hesitated for a long moment, but he gave in—it's not like she was asking him to reciprocate her feelings. She was just asking for something that she couldn't have when she was younger. Licking his lips, he sat closer to the edge of the coffee table, about a foot of distance between himself and Stevie now. She watched him as he watched her and all he could think was how unbelievable this all was—he was about to kiss his patient!

Of all people!

He exhaled and leaned in until his lips gently touched hers. He was surprised by how her lips felt—this kiss was so different from any that he'd had, and vaguely he wondered what that meant. Her lips were so soft and hesitant against—clearly inexperienced. He could feel the indents in her bottom lip from her teeth—she often bit her lip he noticed.

They stayed like that for several seconds before Zander finally pulled away. Stevie's teeth were back, shyly chewing on her bottom lip. She brought her knees in to her chest and hugged herself.

"I shouldn't have done that…" she mumbled, "What if he finds out?"

Zander watched her for a minute before saying quietly, "You were curious… and he won't find out, Stevie. Because I promised you back in my office that anything you said to me would stay between us."

Her eyes searched his face for a few seconds before she slowly nodded her head. She wasn't at all relaxed though—she was still curled up, but she said, "Alright… I'll trust you, Zander. And that wasn't how I thought it'd be…"

Zander smiled a bit, "What did you expect it to be like?"

She licked her lips and then replied, "I don't know… that was just more enjoyable than I thought it would… it was awkward," she said with a small laugh, "But I liked it… thank you."

Zander nodded his head, "So, do we get you home now, or wait a little while?"

He wondered how they would be after this… would her "feelings" for him develop into stronger ones? He really didn't want them to—not that Stevie would be a horrible lover, but she was his patient, and that was as far as the relationship could go.

Right?

**A/N: …soooo? :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I plan to update this a few times today because I don't have school (happy Rosh Hashanah!) **

**Update on **Seven Long Years**: I will update soon! I just need some ideas on how to move it along.. I have key points plotted out, but I don't want to rush into things. So, for now I will continue to update this one :)**

**Hopefully you all don't mind!**

**Replies: **

_**DreamStar77**_**: OH MY GOSH THANK YOU! Literally, a bunch of people have said that lately, but it's so sweet! I really do want to publish my own books :) I just need the time, and I don't stick with plots that long… I need to work on that xD but anyway! Thank you so much! One day, I will publish my own stories :)**

_**Jellybean96**_**: Yeah haha. I thought I'd give you guys a little break and FINALLY put some Zevie action in :) I was sort of in a bad mood writing that chapter, so I needed some Zevie action myself xD**

_**MysteryWriter12345**_**: I do believe I have read a fanfiction of yours before… you write for Kickin' It, right? If I have that correct, then I do have some feedback :)**

_**Liz Marie**_**: Haha very likely, very likely…**

_**Misskikimarie**_**: Like I've mentioned before, writing for something that's supposed to be realistic, I like to keep it realistic. Something Dark was the exception though, because it was supernatural haha. But I try to keep my writing realistic and not awkward to read. **

_~Chapter 10~_

Zander went to work the next day and was glad that Stevie would be coming in for her appointment—he missed too many work days and was currently close to be fired if he missed any more. He was seated behind his desk, writing out some paperwork as she entered his office. Over the last couple of weeks—despite her suicide attempt—Zander noticed a slight change in her character each day. She seemed more open to him and happy, almost.

She took a seat in the chair in front of his desk and greeted him, "Good morning."

Zander grinned down at his work, still writing, "Good morning. Someone's in a good mood today, yeah? That's a first," he teased lightly. She rolled her hazel eyes and laughed quietly.

"Well, I've grown… accustomed to these appointments by now," she answered, getting comfortable in her seat. She wasn't completely cured, Zander knew this. She had her moments still where she worried about _him_ and what he might do if he knew about her behavior now. She still had those guarded moments where she snapped at Zander, but he always patiently got her through them. He let her decide the topic of conversation today, and she decided on discussing her recurring dream.

"I don't believe what he told you on that recording was true," she began, and Zander was slightly worried that she was beginning to believe that the recording was fake. But what she said next assured him that that's not where the conversation was going.

"I had—well, I've been having a very rapid yet vague dream lately… it keeps coming back, and maybe it's not a dream, but a faint memory… I'm in the backseat of a car, lying on my back… um, my eyesight is pretty blurry though, like I can hardly stay awake."

Zander listened intently—maybe she was right, maybe it was a memory!

"It was pretty dark in the car, and I couldn't really move or make any sounds. I was so tired. There was blood on my clothes, but I don't know where it came from," she explained, biting her lower lip nervously. She was struggling to remember anything else, and that's when Zander spoke up.

"There's a way to get the full story, but it's dangerous for you," he said. Stevie's curiosity was piqued however, and she raised her eyebrows slightly, prompting him to continue.

"When you're ready—really ready—and with the permission of your parents, obviously, I say we take you down to the prison, and you can talk to him face to face. Get the story from him, but you have to act like you don't trust me at all… it's him you have to pretend to trust or he'll never fess up," Zander explained, watching Stevie's reaction. She was intrigued, but she was nervous.

"What if I do fall for what he says? What if I go back to the way I was?" she asked.

"That's why you need to decide if you want to do this. If you don't feel ready, then I'll go in and make him confess. We can go about this any way we want to, but it has to be okay with you," he said, making sure she understood.

For a few minutes, she sat in the chair carefully considering this suggestion. Zander continued to work on the paperwork in front of him as he waited patiently—of course she didn't need to make a decision now, but if she wanted to she could. And she could always back out if she didn't feel ready later on.

"Let's try your plan and see how it goes," she said after a long while of careful thought, "I'll talk it over with my parents and then let you know what they say when they've come to a decision."

Zander nodded, and soon their session ended. She went back home with her parents and spent most of the day trying to convince them to give into this suggestion. Her mother was most uneasy about this suggestion, but Stevie kept at it.

About two or three days later—Zander lost count—Stevie had come back for another appointment with news that her parents had said yes, but wanted to go to the prison with them. Zander agreed that that would be a good idea and then said to Stevie, "As long as you still feel okay with this, we'll pay him a visit tomorrow."

The next day came a little too quickly for both Zander and Stevie's comfort. They had left for the prison about ten o' clock in the morning, and arrived close to eleven. Zander had suggested that she stay behind the one-way glass and he go talk to the captor, but she insisted that this was something she had to do. So, reluctantly, he let her go.

So Stevie sat in the chair on one side of the table. She faced the one-way glass and when the captor had been brought in, she could feel her heart ready to pound through her chest. She was terrified, but she refused to chicken out. Zander was behind that one-way glass—not that the captor knew, so she kept that in mind. It calmed her down somewhat.

He could hear the whole conversation and if she needed him to step in, he would.

The captor was sat down across from Stevie, and the metal table put about three feet of distance between them, but it did nothing to comfort her. She was too close to him. But a small part of her felt grateful to see him again, and it scared her. This man was no good, and yet she'd been so stupid to believe for the longest time that he was.

"Didn't expect to see you here," the man said in a gravelly voice. Prison wasn't the place for anyone… it changed people, and Stevie could see this. This man was scarier and different from the man she'd known for those five or so years.

"I came because I know that everything you told me was a lie… and I want the truth," she said quietly, keeping her eyes on him. It was difficult and terrifying to look this man straight on in the eyes. He was intimidating, but Stevie did her best to stay calm.

Zander watched the interaction between the two from behind the glass. He nervously bite down on his hand—the possible horrible outcomes running through his mind. He couldn't sit in their while Stevie tried to get the truth out of this man, but oh how he wished he could've.

"I would never lie to you, angel," the man said soothingly, reaching his cuffed wrists across the table to grab Stevie's hands. She pulled back and set her jaw. She would not let this man's "caring" nature break her again.

"Don't touch me," she said. It wasn't at all demanding, however. It sounded weak and helpless. The man smiled at her.

"You don't mean that," he told her, "I can see it in your eyes, Stevie… you missed me. Admit it, those five years were good for you… and you want me out of here so we can live together again."

She fought the urge to bite her lip—she didn't want him to think she was considering his words. He was entirely right, but another half of her said he was just trying to fool her again, and that she couldn't afford to be stupid right now.

Zander bite his hand a little harder—_this was a bad idea,_ he kept telling himself. _Pull her out of there now and finish his yourself_.

But he didn't.

"You're wrong," Stevie said a little more defensively. "I don't miss you… and I want the whole truth now, or else I'll walk out and let you stay here to rot," she said coldly, narrowing her eyes and glaring. The man was shocked, but he masked it quickly.

"What do you notice about me?" he asked quietly.

Stevie was confused by the question—was he referring to his physical appearance or was he talking about his behavior?

"What do you notice about me physically?" he asked her after she had taken too long to answer him the first time. She observed him for a moment.

"You look sick," she said, almost phrasing it as a question. What answer was he hoping for? "You look tired and worn out…"

He chuckled, "No, that's not what I was looking for. Look closer, Stevie."

She didn't get it though, and the door behind Stevie opened suddenly. She looked back and saw it was Zander. She was about to ask him why he was there, but then he said, "Stevie, I'm taking over…"

"Wh—but he hasn't told me anything!" she cried confused.

Her captor looked furious suddenly and he bellowed, "You didn't tell me you brought anyone along!"

She ignored him and got out of her seat. Zander pulled her aside and then pushed her out the door, shutting it behind her quickly and locking it. He could faintly hear her trying to pry the door open, but Zander flew across the room and was in the other man's face in an instant.

"What the hell are you trying to pull?" he snapped.

"Nothing, Robbins. She wanted the truth, and I was going to give it to her until you burst in here. I think now, I'll just keep it to myself," the man said smugly. Zander set his jaw and angrily glared at the captor before him.

"Tell me what you know and I'll leave," Zander said, his knuckles snow white from clutching the edges of the table too tightly. His anger was boiling, but he couldn't take any swings at this man or else he'd never get the truth.

His self-control was wearing thin, however.

"You've spent enough time with her… why don't you tell me what you notice about me," the man said quietly, raising his eyebrows at Zander. Zander studied his face for a minute, and then his grip loosened on the table's edges.

"Holy shit," he said quietly, backing up slightly.

Stevie watched from the other side of the one-way glass, but she was confused—what did Zander notice that she didn't? She watched the situation play out.

The man smiled deviously at Zander and said, "Take a good look… that'll haunt you for a long as you live, won't it?"

Zander couldn't say anything… this man's eyes, they looked _just_ like Stevie's! That couldn't mean…

"You're her father…" Zander said quietly, piecing this together. He backed up about a foot more and he knew Stevie was watching. God, he wondered how she was taking this.

"That's right, Robbins. You want the full story now, or do you need somewhere to lie down?" the man snapped, leaning back in his chair. All this time Zander thought the man that Stevie's mother was with was Stevie's biological father, but no… this horrid excuse before him was her father.

Zander shook his head to clear his thoughts and said, "I want the full story—and nothing but the truth. I'm not leaving until I have it."

"Suit yourself," the man shrugged. He licked his lips and then began, "Stevie's _my _daughter. Not the man her mother's married to. She was unhappy with her life for a while… her mother and I got involved—an affair—and when she found out she was pregnant, she passed it off as her husband's kid… it pissed me off because some other man was calling my daughter his… I decided if I wasn't allow to have Stevie, then neither was she…"

"So you tried to kill her?" Zander asked, wondering if that's what this man was referring to.

The man nodded his head, "But I failed… I couldn't do it, so when I took her and ran out of the state. I was her mother's husband's best friend… her mother and I had an affair and she lied kept telling me the kid wasn't hers, but neither of them have Stevie's eyes. I was enraged. But I couldn't kill my own daughter… so I took her and kept her safe for five years—"

"—you took Stevie from school one day, didn't you? She couldn't remember anything from the head trauma you gave her, so you made up a lie she'd believe to save your ass," Zander said coldly. The story was making sense, and he could only wonder how Stevie was taking this.

The man nodded his head, "I tried to kill her at first… get rid of her, and make her mother pay for lying about Stevie not being mine… I hit her head pretty hard, but instead of killing her, she just blacked out, and I felt awful…" the man was crying now—the memory getting to him.

"I couldn't kill her though… I was capable of it, but I saw the blood coming out of her head, and I just couldn't… so I took her and ran."

"You're sick," Zander said coldly, "And I'm going to make sure you rot in this Hellhole."

With that, and the whole story disturbingly drilled into his head, Zander left the room and that's when he found Stevie. She was sitting on the floor beside the door. Her arms were wrapped around her body and she was crying. She was in shock from what she'd heard and she didn't even look up to meet Zander's gaze. He crouched down beside Stevie and tried to calm her down, but she wouldn't listen to him.

Her crying grew hysterical and the sobs wracked her body violently. It was as if Zander wasn't even existent beside her—she wasn't responding to him. She couldn't. He had an officer call an ambulance—he couldn't get her to stop or to respond—and when the paramedics came, they took her away. He wasn't allowed to go with her, and he became worried…

It was his fault he'd even suggested they come here… but the story was out, and he wondered if maybe she needed to know the truth. As if this situation wasn't bad enough… he was afraid she wasn't going to recover this time…

**A/N: Poor Stevie… thoughts?**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Are you all ready for this chapter? I don't think you are…**

**Replies: **

_**Misscakerella**_**: Just goes to show you all how messed up even some of the most unexpected people can be… **

_**Jellybean96**_**: Glad you didn't see it coming :) made for a better reaction haha**

_**MysteryWriter12345**_**: I believe I have read your fanfictions before :) I just don't review often because I'm always on mobile, and it does get annoying have to keep logging in (if I don't, then my review doesn't post! -.-)**

_**Misskikimarie**_**: I don't know… sometimes it just takes the right person to make everything okay… :)**

_~Chapter 11~_

Zander went to work the next day with one thing on his mind—one person:

_Stevie_.

He couldn't begin to imagine how she was coping. She refused to let her parents in to see her in the hospital, and they were freaking out. Zander couldn't visit her until he got off work, and by the time he did get off work, visiting hours were nearly over.

He and his boss had had and argument about the number of days Zander had failed to report to work—he was visiting Stevie when she was in the hospital for overdose. Zander didn't put up with it though, and he stormed right out of his boss' office, quite sure he would be asked to pack up his office eventually.

Zander went to visit Stevie after that and he was devastated when the nurse said she refused to make any movements or attempts at talking. It was as if she wasn't there. She was barely communicating with anyone—sometimes she failed to communicate at all. Zander was told that if she kept it up, she would be moved to an institute where they could hopefully cure her.

Zander didn't want them to send her away though, because God only knew where they'd send her, and he honestly didn't want to not see her again. He sat beside her hospital bed, desperately trying to catch her attention. She ignored his attempts though—she just stared ahead, completely shut up inside herself from the world around her.

"Stevie, _please_ look at me," Zander begged, frustrated. He longed to hear her voice again, and all their progress had gone down the drain... it was as though she couldn't trust him anymore either. He was also quite sure that he no longer had a job…

As Stevie fell apart, so did Zander's life…

In that moment, he felt guilty. But she had to know the truth, didn't she? No matter how awful? She deserved the truth as she'd been lied to too many times. He didn't think she would take the truth in such a hard way though. He honestly didn't.

Then again, it hadn't been the truth he was expecting either.

"Stevie, _please_!" he cried, frustrated, hot tears threatening to spill down his cheeks, "You know who I am—you can trust me!"

She said nothing though, nor did she acknowledge his presence. It was as if Stevie Baskara no longer existed. It was haunting… the girl before him was just an empty shell of her…

A hollow, empty shell.

Hot, angry tears rolled down Zander's cheeks and he sat on the edge of her bed so he could move closer to her. This time, he was in her line of vision, but she didn't look at him. Her gaze was empty. He placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her, desperately hoping she would react. Still nothing.

"Stevie, you know who I am… don't you remember? I—I gave you your first kiss, remember that?" he said quietly, hoping it would get through to her… nothing.

He couldn't lose her this way…

"Stevie, you know I can help you… that's why I'm here… I get it now, please you have to listen to me… I—I like you—hell, I may even _love_ you! But please, Stevie! Just get better! For me!" Tears ran down his face leaving salty tracks. Without hesitation, he kissed her.

He kept his lips against hers, and kissed her harder when her lips just barely responded. Her response was weak and short though, and Zander pulled away to look at her. Her eyes slowly focused on his face, but she expressed no emotion.

"I'm sorry…" was all she faintly whispered, barely moving her lips at all.

Tears continued to fall down Zander's cheeks and he gently grabbed her hand, "Stevie… it makes sense now… why I've wanted to help you so badly… I love you and—and—" sobs began to cut him off, but he swallowed thickly and continued, "—and I need you… I need you to get better, please…" he begged.

Stevie's eyes began to glisten with hot tears as she studied his face. He was sincere, but she'd been so naïve before as to believe too many lies… how did she know he was being honest though? She curled her fingers around his and gently, almost inaudibly whispered, "I trust you… I will get better… I love you too…"

Zander rested his forehead on her right shoulder and cried. Sobs wracked his body, but Stevie didn't push him off or say anything else. Several weeks ago, when she came into his office—completely guarded and she could hardly stand the sight of him—she had Stockholm's. She defended that monster that completely took her young life from her to save himself… never in a million years had Zander expected himself, in such a short time, to fall in love with his patient…

Of all people!

He gave up everything for her—his time, his job—he was just grateful that she had promised him she would get better… for him.

And she did.

_~Ten Years Later~_

"He's so small…" she said softly, looking down at the little life sleeping peacefully. He had short, curly dark brown hair like his father.

"He has your nose though," he commented, gently encircling his love's small waist, hugging her from behind. Looking down at their son, Zander recalled the number of times he'd tried to talk his wife into starting a family. She'd declined so many times that when she finally gave in, Zander was ecstatic.

Ten years earlier, life had been a mess for the both of them. Stevie had trouble coping with her past, but Zander understood her, and so he was patient and gentle. Eventually he had talked Stevie into having a baby.

She'd lost contact with her family—by her own choice—and she'd worried constantly about how bringing a baby into such a messed up family would affect him/her later in life, but Zander had eased her worry. Two days before now, Stevie and Zander had welcomed their 6lb 11oz baby son into their lives.

They looked down at their son, sound asleep in his crib in his new home…

Ten years ago, neither had expected to fall for each other, but somehow Stevie's messed up situation had given them both something—well, _someone_ to live for. They talked about it all the time… it was funny how fate worked.

It brought people together in strange ways, but despite Stevie's past, she and Zander welcomed this new chapter of their lives. Things would hopefully be okay now.

**A/N: Et ils vécurent heureux... le fin. Thoughts, comments, questions? :)**


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